Amusement device



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Dec. 11, 1923.v

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UNITED STA HERBERT N. RIDGWAY, Q11 WINTHROP, MASSACHUSETTS.

AMUsnivrnNr Ynnvron.

Application led November 29, 1920. Serial No. 426,942.

T 0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HERBERT N. RIDGWAY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Winthrop, county of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Amusement Devices, of which the following description, `in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on thedrawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to an amusement device of that type which comprises a floor or platform andone or more passengercarrying cars adapted to travel over said platform in any direction. v

vThe object of the invention is to provide an amusement device of this type in which the cars are connected to form a train of cars and in which such train of cars is moved over the floor with an irregular motion so that at some time the cars will follow each other, while at some other time the carsV comprising the train will be thrown in different directions relative to eachother thereby causing them to bump into each other.

Another object of the invention is to provide an amusement device of this type in which the floor is provided with inclined portion so thatas the train of cars is prol pelled it will at sometimes be drawn up an floor is concaved in one direction but straight inV a .direction perpendicular thereto, thus providing a floor having a trough shape and also to provide a car propelling means arranged to draw the cars up one side of the trough and'then allow them to slide down tol ward the center again and then repeat the operation on the otherside of the trough.

Other objects of the invention are to provide improvements in amusement devicesall as will be more fully hereinafter set forth.

In order to give an. understanding of my invention,.I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described, after which the novel featureswill be pointed out in the appending claims.A

Fig; l is a plan view of an apparatus embodyingmy invention. y Y y Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. l.

Fig. 3 .is a section on the line 3-3 Fig. 1.

1 indicates the iioor` or platform and 2 indicates the passenger-carrying cars adapted to travel over said floor or platform in both dated May 25, 1920. These cars are cylindrical in Vshape and are provided with casters 3 constructed to permit them to travel freely in any direction.

Each car is also provided with a bumper 20 which encircles the car.

vA plurality of these cars are connected together to form a tra-in of cars, the cars of the train being connected with each other by means of connections 5. Means are provided for 'propelling the train of cars over the floor with an irregular motion. I will preferably use a propelling means constructed to have an intermittent motion with the result that during the forward movement ofthe propelling means, the cars of the train will trail each other while wien the propelling means is brought to rest the cars will be-carried in different directions by their momentum and will bump into each other, thereby giving the passengers more or less excitement.

I have found that .vhere the train of cars is made up ofcars each mounted on casters so that they are free to travel in any direction, the successive cars of the traindo not follow eachv other in line, when they are being drawn forward, but each car tends to taire a more or less irregular course with the result that the cars are moved back and forth sidewayswith amore or less irregular motionduring their forwardprogress.` This uncertain irregular, and more or less sinuous course which eachv car takes 1s in itselfa 4 Vsourceof pleasure and excitement to the passengers and when the propelling means suddenly comes to rest the impact of the cars against "each other and the consequent general mix-up of the cars will greatly increase the excitement and pleasure that the passengers experience. y

Any suitable propelling means for the cars may be employed without departing from the invention. I have herein shown Uk y Cil

or sweep which is mounted to move over the floor in a .circular `course. ,Such arm or sweep is shown at 6 and is in the form ofV a beam or head secured to a vertical shaft 7 which is journaled in `suitable bearings '8.

The shaft 7 may loe given a rotative move- Y ment by any suitable means. In the' construction shown, saidshajithas .a worm gear driving shaft ll that is rotated by a motor 14e.

Vldlhere `a propelling means of vthis form is used', 1 may7 if desired employ two trains of cars, one connected to each end of the .beam yor sweep.

Theoperating means for the -carpropelling'member 6 will preferablybe so constructed that Ysaid member 6 will be given a partial turn and then will be suddenly brought .to rester possibly given a slight reverse turning movement, which may be aiccomplishedby manipulating the switch 15 in the motorrircnit. y

Assuming that the cars of each ytrain are arranged illustrated in lig. l and that the member 6 is turned in the direction ot thev arrow. During the first et the forward movement tof .the 4member 6 the cars ,of each trai-n will follow each other, although in so doing each individnal ,car will have more or'less of a lateral vibrating movement. As the speed of the member 6 increases the cars will tend to move outwardly by centrifugall force, andvwhen the member G has acquined sufficient speed the ears will all be swung out in a radialline by the centrifugal action. It at any time during the movekment; oit the member 6 the said member is brought to rest suddenly, the momentum that the cars have assumed will carry them forward, such forward movement being cheeked as soon as the flexible connection by which each car is drawn 'forward becomesy taut. -The sudden stopping of the propelling member 6 will produce in ,each train of ears an action something like lthat which is produced when a row of `children join hands and play the familiar game oil' snapping the whip. The last'car of `the train will of course haven, greater motion Vthan the` other cars and .the'sudden change in the course of vthese cars due. to Vthe stopping of theY member 6V, when the cars are beingthrownoutwardly by centrifugal torce 'will be such as togive a thrilling pleasure to 'the occupants ,of the 'ca-r.VIV The commotion and confusion caused by the cars bumping into enchotherwhen the member 6 is stopped can'be increased by giving the member 6 a Slight backward movement the instant that it is brought to-rest. i i

While Considerable excitement and Pleas- Willbe .derived by the passengers if the floor 11 is a, herzentel floor yet Sash plea-,Sure e A -vlllbemereasedif the flo-0f 1s provided with incline portions arranged so that as the cars are propelled forwardly they will first be drawn up an inclined portion o' the licor and then will be allowed to slide down an inclined portion of' the lVhile these incline portions may be provided i'or in a variety ot ways without dcparting from my invention yet l prelc an arrangement such as shown in the drawings in which the floor has a` general trough shape, it being concave in one direction and straight in the opposite direction. In the drawings the floor has a general rectangular shape and it is concave in a transverse direction but straight in a longitudinal direction. This is plainly shown in l? ig. 3 which is a transverse section. lilith this arrangement, the licor has the inclined 'portions 2l at cach side and where the propelling means has a circular motion the result will be that the cars will be drawn un one incline during one-,quarter oit a revolution of the propelling member and Will then be drawn along the top or' the incline, and during the second quarter of the revolution the cars will begin to slide down the incline toward the center of the platform. These operations are repeated duringT the third and `fourth quarter revolutions or the arm. lf the propelling member starts from rest and is moved through one halt revolution and then is brought to rest again, said propelling nicmber will tend to draw the cars up the inclined side ot the licor during the lirst qua 1- ter revolution but theaction of gravity will cause the last ol the cars of the train to swing downwardly,toward the center with the result that the cars will assume an angular position relative to the beam or arm 6. During this one-quarter revolution of the member 6 it will be operating with `a progressively increasing spr-cd thus developing a progressively increasing centrifugal force which tends to-lhrow the cars outwardly against. the action oit' gravity so that by thc time the cars have been carried completely through the One-quarter revolution they will be thrown out ilroni the center of the floor by the centrifugal force. As the arm 6 begins ils second quarter.revolution it tends bo draw the first car ol the train downwardly toward the center. The remaining cars are acted on by centrifugal force which auginenls Vthe action of gravity and results in throwing them out Ifrom the arm in a radial line so that when the second quarter revolution has been completed the cars will have somewhat the position shown in Fig. 1. If at this time the member G is suddenly brought to rest and perhaps given a slight backward movement the cars will be swung around against each other with considerable force thus causing great excitement for the occupants.

lilith the above construction it will be observed that during the first quarter revolution the action of gravity and centrifugal force are.` acting on the cars oppositely, the centrifugal force tending to throw the cars upwardly and the action of gravity tending to draw them toward the center. the second quarter revolution, however, the centrifugal action and the action of gravity work on each carin the same direction, each thus augmenting the action of the other.

While I have shown herein a construction in which the propelling member has two trains ol cars attached thereto, yet I wish to state that the number of trains is immaterial to the invention and that a device involving one or more trains may be employed as desired.

The floor space 1 may if desiredV be bounded by a railing 12. I

The particular character of the car propelling member is immaterial to the invention although for many reasons, I prefer to employ one which has a rotary motion as indicated. My invention however contemplates the use of any device. for propelling a train of cars over the iioor l with an irregular motion.

While I have illustrated herein a selected embodiment of my invention I do not .wish to be limited to the constructional features shown.

I claim:

l. In an Vamusement device, the combination witha floor space, of a plurality of cars each constructed to move freely in any direction, flexible connecting members connecting the cars together in the form of a train, and a car propelling member to which said train is connected and means capable of moving said car propelling member over the loor with an irregular motion.

2. In an amusement device, the combination with -a iloor space, of a train of cars, each car being constructed to move freely in any direction, a car propelling member to which said train of cars is attached, andy DuringV means capable of giving said car propelling member an irregular rotative movement.

3. In an amusement device, the combination with a floor space, of a plurality of cars, each adapted to travel in any direction, means for fiexibly connecting said cars to form a train of cars, a car propelling mem` ber to which said train is connected, means .to give the car propelling member a rotative is free to travel in any direction and means lconnected to the car and arranged to propel said Vcar iirst up and then down the inclined sides of the trough-shaped floor.

6. In an amusement device, the combination with a trough-shaped Hoor space, of a train of cars, each car constructed so that it is free to travel in any direction over the floor, and a rotatable car propelling member for moving the train of Cars up and then down the inclined sides of the trough-shaped Hoor. i

7. In an amusement device, the combination with a loor space having inclined portions, of a train of cars-each constructed S0 that 1t 1S free to travel 1n any direction, a

-car propelling memberconstructed to draw a train of cars over an upwardly-inclined portion of the Hoor space and then vover a downwardly-inclined portion.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HERBERT N. RIDGWAY. 

